fOR IN-DEPTH INDIVIDUAL STUDY

book of the month

Here's what I'm reading right now and a nice outline for you!

What is Salvation?

When we understand that there is a holy God, we
may desire above all else to be reconciled to Him despite our innate
separation. We are so sinful (unholy) that we cannot achieve the
perfection His holiness requires on our own. The law that was
given to describe to us that holiness (in human terms) is impossible
for us to achieve. We find that we are completely and totally unable to be reconciled to God
because of our state, and even unworthy to be reconciled to Him.
There is literally nothing we can do. To an individual facing
this dilemma, it is horrifying.

In the Old
Testament, the old covenant (before Christ) between God and His chosen
people was based upon the law, described by God through the
commandments and by His prophets. Reconciliation to God was
accomplished by the shedding of innocent and perfect blood (as in the
spotless lamb), to atone for the death (the separation) that sin
(unholiness) causes. While the people delighted in the holiness
and majesty of the Lord of creation, they also trembled in fear at His
wrath for the wicked. Sacrifice (of property and blood) drove
home to them the seriousness of their position when compared to the
Almighty benchmark, and gave them the image that reconciliation was
achieved outside of their own personal means. And it meant that
something dear to them, and perfect, had to suffer and die because of
their faults.

Sometimes it is hard to understand why God requires so much for this reconciliation
- why not just wipe the slate clean with the pass of the hand, or
something else that is 'simple'? (After all, He is omnipotent and can
do anything, right?) But if He did that, it would lessen the
importance of His Holiness, and it would make insignificant the amount
of the trespass we have committed. Think of it this way:
perfection plus anything less ruins the perfect state. It would
be the ultimate disruption of perfection, and by the definition of His
nature, He could not do this (just as even an omnipotent being cannot
make a square circle. Consider the thoughts of A.W. Tozer:

"God's
first concern for His universe is its moral health. To preserve
His creation God must destroy what ever would destroy it."

Predictions of a Savior -
The ancient believers were looking for a messiah - a savior who would
set them free from the bondage of sin. They had faith in this
messiah because of references to Him in the scriptures.

"We
all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own
way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah
53:6

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not
count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." Psalm 32:1-2

"...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." Isaiah 1:18b

"But
he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by
his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

"Therefore I
will give him a portion among the great...because he poured out his
life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he
bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors." Isaiah 53:12b

It is
clear from these passages, written as much as 1000 B.C., that the
prophets were speaking of a Messiah that will provide peace and
reconciliation with God.

The NEW Covenant
– Now that we can understand the seriousness of the problem, we
see the significance of the 'remedy'. We know that we ourselves
could never achieve this 'remedy', our only hope is in God
Himself. God has provided the means of reconciliation to us,
fulfilling the same requirements as the old covenant, with a pure and
innocent sacrifice, this time for all that believe. This
sacrifice for us was his very son, Jesus the Christ (chosen one.)
Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice - the one of perfect purity and of
unlimited worth (because He is Himself God!) His sacrifice now
justifies sinners freely without compromising the perfection of His
holiness. The law of the old covenant is now fulfilled in those
who believe in the Christ as their salvation to God. This new
covenant replaces the old, and this trust (aka faith) is the
cornerstone of this new covenant.

To Summarize,
the need for a Messiah (savior) comes from the unreachable distance we
have between ourselves (known as imperfection) and the perfect
(God). Praise God for His love and mercy to us, for His gift of
grace and of redemption - His Salvation plan for us!

"So
you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should
say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty." Luke
17:10

"We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile
sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law,
but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in
Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by
observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be
justified." Galatians 2:15-16

"For if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing." Galatians 2:21b

"Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because ‘the righteous will live by faith.’ " Galatians 3:11